Vancouver –
The bodies of four people have now been recovered from the scene of Monday’s landslide on Highway 99 near Lillooet, BC, coroners confirmed Saturday.
The first victim, a woman whose name has not been released, lay on the day of the ski crash, sending trees and debris strewn across the highway, blocking the last remaining road linking the Lower Mainland to the mainland. the rest of the province this week. monstrous storm.
Three men have been found dead since then.
The BC Coroners Service said search and rescue teams recovered one body on Wednesday, and two more on Thursday.
In a statement, lead coroner Lisa Lapointe offered her sincere condolences to the families currently grieving the sudden and unexpected death of their loved one.
The BC RCMP confirmed three men were among those confirmed missing following the landslide. Their names are yet to be revealed, but Staff Sgt. Janelle Shoihet said their relatives have been notified.
Attempts to find the missing fifth person continued through Friday, but were unsuccessful. Authorities confirmed Saturday that the search has been suspended.
“All current search efforts have been exhausted and discussions are underway about how, when, and best to proceed,” Shoihet said in a press release.
The effort included members of the Pemberton and Lillooet search and rescue teams, along with the use of police dogs. Lapointe commended the search teams for doing their best under “extremely challenging conditions.”
“This has been an incredibly difficult year for all of us in BC, and my heart goes out to the many families and communities that have suffered tragic loss,” she said.
Witnesses who were on the road when the landslide occurred said they heard a “thunder-like” noise as trees cracked and a stream of mud ran down the road, washing away several vehicles.
They told CTV News that an on-duty firefighter organized survivors, who would then work to help injured drivers and passengers escape the wrecked cars.
Days later, Highway 99 is still closed to the public, and there’s no timeline on when it might reopen.
